Despite wide acceptance of the stereotype that women apologize more readily than men, there is little systematic evidence to
support this stereotype or its supposed bases (e.g., men’s fragile egos). We designed two studies to examine whether gender
differences in apology behavior exist and, if so, why. In Study 1, participants reported in daily diaries all offenses they committed
or experienced and whether an apology had been offered. Women reported offering more apologies than men, but...